The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving a revision to the District of Columbia (DC, the District's) title V operating permits program, submitted on behalf of the District by the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). The revision will update the title V operating permit fees collected by DOEE in order to ensure that the title V operating program will continue to be adequately funded. The revision also reorganized some sections in Chapter 3 of 20 District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (20 DCMR) with no substantive change in content. The EPA is approving these revisions to the DC title V program in accordance with the requirements under section 502 of the Clean Air Act (CAA).
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is approving two separate requests from Maryland and Delaware to revise the designation for the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-MD-DE nonattainment area for the 2008 primary and secondary ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) and the 2015 primary and secondary ozone NAAQS. Due to the concurrent requests from Maryland and Delaware, the EPA is revising the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-MD-DE nonattainment area boundary into three distinct nonattainment areas that together cover the identical geographic area of the existing area. The EPA is also issuing clean data determinations (CDDs) for the revised Maryland and Delaware nonattainment areas for both the 2008 and 2015 ozone NAAQS. The EPA is taking this action pursuant to Clean Air Act (CAA) sections 107, 110, 172, and 182.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking final action to conditionally approve a state implementation plan (SIP) submission under the Clean Air Act (CAA or "Act") that addresses the contingency measure requirements for the 2008 ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS or "standards") for the San Joaquin Valley ozone nonattainment area. The SIP submission, titled the "Ozone Contingency Measure State Implementation Plan Revision for the 2008 and 2015 8-hour Ozone Standards" ("2024 SJV Ozone Contingency Measure Plan," "Contingency Measure Plan," or "Plan") relies on two ozone contingency measures that the EPA has already approved in separate rulemakings. The approval is conditional because it relies on commitments by the State air agency and regional air district to supplement the 2024 SJV Ozone Contingency Measure Plan with submission of specific additional contingency measures within one year of the EPA's final conditional approval. The EPA is taking final conditional approval action of the SIP submission because the Agency has determined that the existing approved contingency measures, the commitments to submit additional contingency measures, and the justification for not adopting contingency measures that would achieve the recommended amount for such measures, meet the applicable requirements for such SIP submissions for the San Joaquin Valley for the 2008 ozone NAAQS. This conditional approval adds the 2024 SJV Ozone Contingency Measure Plan to the federally enforceable California SIP.
NMFS announces an inseason action for the Pacific halibut recreational fishery in the International Pacific Halibut Commission's (IPHC) regulatory Area 2A. This action adds fishing dates (June 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23) in the Columbia River subarea. These additional fishing dates are intended to provide additional opportunity for anglers to achieve the overall recreational fishery allocations in the Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) 2026 Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan and to promote full utilization of the 2026 Area 2A Pacific halibut catch limits.
NMFS issues regulations to implement Amendment 55 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic (FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule removes yellowmouth grouper from the other South Atlantic shallow water grouper (other SASWG) complex and establishes a new scamp and yellowmouth grouper complex. This final rule establishes catch levels, sector management measures, and accountability measures (AM) for the new scamp and yellowmouth grouper complex and establishes catch levels for the revised other SASWG complex. In addition, Amendment 55 establishes a rebuilding plan, sector allocations, and status determination criteria (SDC) for the scamp and yellowmouth grouper complex. The purpose of this final rule and Amendment 55 is to rebuild the scamp and yellowmouth grouper stock and achieve optimum yield (OY) while minimizing to the extent practicable adverse social and economic effects.
Today, the European Commission adopted OceanEye to expand the EU's role in ocean observation. The initiative aims to position the EU as the world's leading provider of ocean intelligence by contributing to 35% of the global ocean observing system by 2035 and securing 35% of the market for ocean